Fewer than 24 hours after Port Arthur’s mayor officially announced his city would get its own testing site for everyone, regardless of symptoms, Jefferson County officials have denied that was even a possibility for Friday morning.

Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie by text message said he isn’t sure what happened Friday morning but maintained the testing would happen. On Thursday afternoon, he said the arrangement for open testing was made with Jefferson County Health Authority Dr. Cecil Walkes and Sinegal.

Sinegal said he didn’t know what gave Bartie the idea that testing would begin Friday morning, but the mobile medical unit already has been being used to test some people, by appointment.

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Helpful numbers

(409) 550-2536: Hotline for residents of Jasper, Jefferson, Hardin, Newton, Orange and Tyler counties who have symptoms that could be coronavirus and/or are first responders and want to be tested.

211, option 6: For general coronavirus inquiries.

But there aren’t nearly enough test kits to open it up for everyone at this time — an issue that Sinegal and Commissioner Everette “Bo” Alfred are working on with state Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont.

At the same time, the two are advocating potentially moving the county’s testing site or adding some in north Beaumont and Port Arthur.

While Port Arthur hasn’t emerged as a hot spot for coronavirus cases at this time, Sinegal said that could be because not enough people have been tested. He said he’s aware of only 144 Port Arthur residents who have been tested.

“Were going to get it straight, find out who’s sick and hold people accountable,” he said.

A clearer picture of who has the virus is necessary to make decisions on how to reopen businesses across the state — an issue Gov. Greg Abbott discussed during a Friday afternoon news conference.

The county judges in Hardin and Jefferson counties both said that Abbott’s phrase “colossal challenge” seemed more than accurate when describing the process of determining how to send residents back to work.

Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said he plans to read the executive orders and have a phone call with Abbott before responding with more specific comments. However, he said he agrees with the reopening of state parks because of the exercise and health benefits they can provide, as well as curbside pickup at Home Depot and other big-box stores.

“I agree that we cannot just open the doors and say everything is OK ... it has to be very calculated and measured,” Branick said.

He, too, said testing needs to be more widely available.

Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel also didn’t give any concrete dates or approaches he plans to take in his county, McDaniel said he plans to review the executive orders, local data and speak with medical providers to determine how the county can best adapt Abbott’s orders locally.

“I agree that this is how I characterize this entire battle with COVID-19, not necessarily just for myself, but for all Hardin County citizens,” he said in a statement released after Abbott’s address. “It was also mentioned that the spread of the coronavirus had been slowed as a result of our actions. I say, this is a result of our citizens’ actions — they get the credit, not me or any government official.”

Meanwhile, Southeast Texas on Friday recorded its largest single-day increase in positive test results since March 30.

The 27 new cases brings the region to 315. The city of Beaumont also recorded an additional death of an individual with pre-existing conditions on Friday, bringing the region’s total to 11.

While this may seem like a spike, Hardin County Public Health Authority Dr. Jana Winberg said labs that test the kits have been backlogged and she expects a small surge as they get caught up.

The hotline set up to streamline the screening and testing process also saw the highest number of calls in the past two weeks — 145 — while the number of people tested at sites in Hardin and Jefferson county fell to 147 from 165 the day before.

The number of people being tested has stayed pretty steady between 136 and 169 this week, compared to weeks prior where some days saw a difference of nearly 100 people day-to-day.

Officials have said they’re watching the number of people calling to be tested and actually being tested when making decisions about how to reopen commerce, instead of just the number of positive cases being confirmed.